It’s an early rise in the Union Street apartment… our time in Edinburgh is over and we’re heading for the bus to Cairnryan. It seems to be taking longer to get everyone moving, the apartment needs to be straightened up, bags don’t seem to be as large as they were at the beginning of the trip, and someone has left laundry in the dryer… with a five flight staircase to the street… no one wants to have to climb up those stairs. It’s a 20-minute hike to the bus station, the sun has chased the clouds away and we’re heading to Cairnryan to catch the ferry to Larne, Northern Ireland

And like all the other bus and train trips, I’m the outlier, sitting on my own, I’m soon surrounded by a young Irish family, dad looks as though he’s had a rough night, mum isn’t looking very happy and the two boys are loaded up on crisps and candy… I can hardly understand the exchange… it’s going to be a long ride to the coast. This is an express bus, so we’re cutting across Scotland and avoid going through Glasgow, but there is quite a panorama out the window, something to look at since I can’t read my book! We hit the coast at Ayr, and all of a sudden there seems to be a change in the weather… there’s a bit of a storm brewing off the coast. Too bad there aren’t any stops for photographs!

As the bus approaches Cairnryan Port, a few passengers along with the five of us, start getting things organised to head to the ferry, but the bus doesn’t seem to be slowing down. All of a sudden, there’s an announcement that this bus doesn’t stop at that terminal, we’re heading for Stranraer, and the Belfast ferry. We check our tickets again, and there’s nothing there about not stopping at Cairnryan Port. And this must happen often, taxis are waiting at the Stranraer terminal, and it’s a flat rate for the 20 km return ride. Waiting To Load

We have a bit of a wait at the terminal, perhaps I’ll get through some of that book, there doesn’t seem to be much of anything else to see… the terminal is fenced in and you can’t access the beach or harbour front at all. This is a similar ferry as the last… a very large version of what we’re used to… so we find a quiet corner, away from the two bars and the televisions tuned into different football matches. The two-hour trip goes quickly, the ferry docks right in downtown Larne, and Kyla’s friends are there to pick us up. I think the girls are excited about this leg, we’re staying at the Seaview Bed and Breakfast, they’re staying a few blocks away with Kyla’s friends. Funny though, I can’t find the sea view from our B & B!

We’re off for a walk, it’s been a long day… I soon find a few places to shoot… there’s an abandoned Coast Guard station just down the road. We’re off to the Blue Chicago Grill for dinner, which turns out to be a knock-off ‘burger joint, with Coors on tap… but the music was grand. We stop at the Tesco on the way home for a few things, it’s an early night for us, but I’m sure the girls are up much later.

Fast Train to Belfast

We’re up early, Kyla’s organised the day… we’re off by train to Belfast for the day, and it’s going to be a long one. I’m really looking forward to this visit, Belfast and Northern Ireland have always been places I wanted to see. It’s a short trip by train, just over an hour and a half, something like riding the Skytrain in Vancouver. We soon leave Larne, and the vistas become very rural, at Carrickfergus, we hit the coast as we head into Belfast. As we slow for the station, we pass the Harland and Wolff shipyards, where the Titanic was launched.

Fast Train To Belfast

With no car, we’re off on the On/Off bus for a tour of Belfast, but with a twist… Kyla and her friends lived in Belfast, so we’re getting the insiders special. First stop is the Botanical Gardens, it’s a lovely day, with the sun out… and it seems that most everything is in bloom, I’m finding many images to capture. We find a small outdoor café for lunch, and then head for a walk around downtown Belfast… catching the Europa Hotel and a few other sites made infamous during The Troubles. We take a tour through to the Peace Wall, still separating Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods… the artwork on the walls says it all. I’m off to the airport to pick up a rental, one of Kyla’s friends is coming along to help with the paperwork, in the end, it’s easier to put the car in his name. On our way back to pick up the rest of the crew, I see that things haven’t changed much, there’s a group of black-clad protesters in Adidas tracksuits and balaclavas protesting the cancellation of the upcoming marches on July 12th or Orangemen’s  Day. I’m getting ready to walk along and shoot some photos, but I’m waved off by a group of Belfast police.

As we leave Belfast, we pass the SSE Arena, home of the Belfast Giants, one of eight teams in the Elite Hockey league. I was hoping they made the playoffs, and we’d be catching one of their games… there’s a Canadian connection… Theo Fleury played for three seasons with them.

We’re all tired, and it’s an early night at the B & B.

Chips with that?

We load up the seven-passenger Renault and we’re off on a road trip… stopping at the requisite rolling green hills covered with sheep, heading for Torr’s Head. I’m riding in the front passenger seat and holding on as we negotiate these seemingly one lane back roads, and it’s a dance as cars dart in and out of turnoffs. With the weather a bit damp, we seem to be the only ones crossing the suspension bridge, but the rewards are just grand… especially the algae on the cave walls. We stop along the way to pick up some food for a picnic lunch, we’re going to be spending some time at the Clochán an Aifir  (Giant’s Causeway). I’m off on the trail early, but soon discover it’s hard to get a shot without people walking through… I have to just sit and wait for an opening, but there are some grand opportunities. The girls catch up, and I have some help keeping the people out of my shots… we head back to Larne along the coast, stopping at some of the small harbours and end up at Dunluce Castle … Kathy figures out that it’s somehow related to the Coyles.

An Early Fog

We’re getting together with Kyla’s friends for an evening… and ordering Chinese food to accompany the beer… I’m hoping for something I can’t get back home, and there it is, sitting in the fridge, Coors! Love that global economy! I volunteer to help pick up the order, there’s 12 of us sharing the take out… and the Chinese restaurant looks like it could be in Vancouver… except for the Chinese owner speaking with an Irish accent. And,  I discover that along with the Chinese, we get 12 orders of chips!

Quick Norm, there’s a riot goin’ on!

Our trip is coming to an end, one last day on the road… we’re heading to Ulster Village and Transportation Museum… there’s a Titanic display up that Moira wants to visit. There are many opportunities for photographs, I’m wandering on my own… we’ve set up a place to meet for lunch. The village is quite large, and then there’s the transportation museum across the way.. so it’s a day-long visit… we’re heading back earlier to Larne, we’re going out to dinner with a group to The Halfway House in Ballygally,  up the coast from Larne. It’s a nice time, and I manage a pint of Guinness. As we’re sitting around chatting, all of a sudden there’s a yell, “Norm, get over here, there’s a riot going on.” And there on the news are shots from the hockey riot after Vancouver’s loss to Boston in the 2011 Stanley Cup. The shots are greeted with great glee from this audience, many of the group have done time in British prisons… they decide that they could get something going much quicker!

It was a fine visit, and far too short… sometimes I think it would have been better to live overseas in my 30s than when I was a teenager… It’s a busy day tomorrow, the girls and I are off to Amsterdam for an eight-day trip with bikes and canals. Kathy and Beth are off on a bus tour of Ireland.